The society and the information 46: news media has fought 3

This time, we look at an overview of those days that public opinion became uniformly a mood of war because the newspapers had remained silent on the truth.

今回は、新聞が真実に沈黙し、国論が戦争一色になって行く時代を概観します。

＜ 2. Manchurian Incident in 1931 ＞

＜ ２． 満州事変、１９３１年勃発 ＞

Since 1930

A Japanese detached unit acted arbitrarily on site, and Manchurian Incident broke out in 1931.

On the other hand, in Japan, military coups happened in succession such as 5.15 incident in 1932 and 2.26 incident in 1936.

From long ago, there was that important persons of the government and business community were assassinated by lone murderer, but many assassinations by armed forces that rose in revolt happened at last.

This backdrop to this is that there was people’s despair due to a gap between the rich and the poor and a political corruption that accelerated in 1930s of a financial crisis.

１９３０年以降

１９３１年に日本の現地派遣部隊が独走し満州事変が勃発した。

一方、国内では、１９３２年に５・１５事件、１９３６年に２・２６事件と相次いで軍事クーデターが起こった。

以前から単独犯による財界や政府の要人の暗殺はあったが、ここに至って軍隊蜂起による多数の要人暗殺が行われた。

この背景に、金融恐慌後の１９３０年代に加速した貧富の差と政治腐敗による国民の絶望があった。

＜ 3. In those days, the income gap increased remarkably in Japan. by “Capital in Twenty-First Century” ＞

＜ ３． 当時、日本で所得格差が著しく高まった。ピケティ「２１世紀の資本」より ＞

＜ 4. 2.26 incident in 1936 ＞

＜ ４． ２・２６事件、１９３６年 ＞

After this, the military authorities led Japan by the bayonet and the regulation, and continued to rush until the war defeat.

There wasn’t a dictator in this military dictatorship, but this was caused by a more Japanese style of political culture, and remains ingrained still in now.

In simple terms, the fate of Japan was decided without anyone taking responsibility in the name of Imperial Japan.

Many newspapers still had criticized the reckless war, but went down to the pressure of the government at last, and they not only did not convey to people the truth, but also encouraged the people after that.

＜ 5. the Imperial Council and an announcement of the military government ＞

＜ ５． 御前会議と大本営発表 ＞

In this way, the people took part in the expansion of the war without doubting about the war accomplishment due to the disinformation and the brainwashing by the military authority’s leadership and furthermore the chain of hatred added it.

We had to wait the end of the announcement of disinformation till the war defeat.

こうして国民は軍部主導による虚報と洗脳により、戦争遂行に疑念を持つこと無く、憎しみの連鎖もあって、戦争の拡大に加担して行くことになる。

この虚偽報道に終止符が打たれるのは敗戦まで待たなければならず、国民が戦争の真実を知るのは極東裁判以降になる。

About the treachery of newspapers

This treachery of newspapers was not at all simple.

The biggest factor that newspapers didn’t convey the truth was the pressure of the government, but people could not know it because of the very skillful measures.

The factor of the treachery was not only external pressure such as political pressure and oppression, and the violence of right wing.

There was also own turnabout.

Newspaper company was sensitive about the tastes of readers and the management stability, and as the result of some company overly concerned with the politics, it often chose a wrong path.

Reporter animated by a patriotic spirit may lose his own because he also is a son of man.

This was seen among war correspondents of the United States in the Vietnam War.

新聞の変節について

この新聞の変節は決して単純なものではなかった。

新聞が真実を伝えなくなる最大の要因は政府の圧力だが、それは非常に巧みであり国民から見えないことが多い。

変節の要因は政治圧力や弾圧、右翼の暴力などの外圧だけではなかった。

自らの変節もあった。

新聞社は読者の嗜好や経営安定に敏感であり、時には政治に関わり過ぎて道を誤ることもあった。

また記者も人の子、愛国心をたぎらせ我を見失うこともある。

これはベトナム戦争時の米国の従軍記者にも見られた。

記者は真実を伝えようとするのだが、歪んだ価値判断が入ってしまうことになる。

この連載で、そのいくつの事例を明らかにします。

An important thing is the treachery of newspapers is common to every society of the world as well as Japan of those days.

We should think that it is not one-off incident and is repeated many times.

It is important that we understand this process.

This is a main theme of this serialization ” The society and the information”.

On the next time, I describe the thing to note about the society after the Meiji Restoration.